MIA Update

National VFW - 4/3/2017

-- Mr. Peter Atkinson, 25, of Berkley Springs, West
Virginia, will be buried April 8 in Martinsburg, West Virginia.
Atkinson, a former U.S. Army Air Corps Reservist, was among a small
group of American pilots training with the Flying Tigers at Kyedaw
Airfield, outside of Toungoo, Burma, in 1941. In preparation for
battling Japanese forces invading China, the pilots engaged their
Curtiss P-40 single-seat aircraft in aggressive training and mock
battles. On Oct. 25, 1941, Atkinson’s plane disintegrated while
participating in one of these training flights. Interment services are
pending. Read more here.-- Navy Seaman 1st Class Murry R. Cargile, 21, of
Robersonville, North Carolina, will be buried April 7 in the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. Cargile was assigned to
the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when
Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Cargile was one of
429 crewmen to be killed in the attack. Read more here.-- Navy Seaman 2nd Class Vernon N. Grow, 25, of
Redding, California, will be buried April 7 in the National Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. Grow was assigned to the USS
Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when Japanese
aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Grow was one of 429 crewmen
to be killed in the attack. Read more here.-- Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Robert E. Moessner, 24, of
Scranton, Pennsylvania, will be buried April 5 in Arlington National
Cemetery, near Washington, D.C. On April 18, 1944, Moessner was serving
as a bombardier on a B-24 departed Kwelin, China, on a sea sweep. After
making two passes over a Japanese merchant ship and escorting destroyer,
Moessner’s plane came under heavy fire and was then shot down over Hong
Kong harbor by Japanese fighters. Survivors reported that Moessner went
down with the aircraft. Read more here.-- Army Sgt. Homer R. Abney, 24, of Dallas, will be
buried April 7 in his hometown. Abney was a member of Company A, 1st
Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, when his unit
was engaged in heavy fighting with Chinese forces on the road from
Kunu-ri to Sunch’on, North Korea — later named "The Gauntlet.” After
several days of fighting, his regiment declared Abney missing on Nov.
30, 1950. Read more here.-- Army Cpl. James T. Mainhart, 19, of Butler,
Pennsylvania, will be buried April 8 in his hometown. Mainhart served
with Company I, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, part of
the 31st Regimental Combat Team deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir in
North Korea. The RCT was attacked by an overwhelming number of Chinese
forces in late November 1950. Mainhart was among 1,300 members of the
RCT killed or captured in enemy territory. He was reported missing as of
Nov. 30, 1950. Read more here.-- Army Sgt. Donald D. Noehren, 23, of Harlan, Iowa,
will be buried April 3 in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington,
D.C. Noehren was a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Service
Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. While
conducting a delaying action against Chinese forces south from the
Ch’ongch’on River to Kunu-ri, North Korea, his unit encountered heavy
fire and continuous enemy mortars. Noehren was captured during the
withdrawal and was declared missing in action as of Nov. 30, 1950. Read more here.-- Air Force Capt. Robert R. Barnett, 32, of
Gladewater, Texas, will be buried April 7 in Austin, Texas. Barnett was a
B-57B pilot with the 8th Bomb Squadron. While on a strike mission over
Laos, Barnett’s aircraft reportedly crashed with no parachutes seen. The
hostile threat in the area prevented a search and rescue mission and
Barnett was declared killed in action on April 7, 1966. Read more here.-- Navy Seaman 1st Class Monroe Temple was assigned to
the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when
Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Temple was one of
429 crewmen to be killed in the attack. Read more here.-- Marine Corps Reserve Capt. James W. Boyden was a
member of the Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 233, 1st Marine Aircraft
Wing, Fleet Marine Force. On Feb. 14, 1944, Boyden piloted his Grumann
torpedo bomber on an experimental mission to destroy enemy shipping in
Simpson Harbor, New Britain. As part of the last wave of bombers,
Boyden’s aircraft encountered intense anti-aircraft fire and was one of
six bombers to fail to return from the mission. Read more here.-- Army Cpl. William R. Sadewasser served with
Headquarters Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry
Division, as part of the 31st Regimental Combat Team deployed east of
the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. The RCT was attacked by an
overwhelming number of Chinese forces in late November 1950. Sadewasser
was among the more than 1,000 members of the RCT killed or captured in
enemy territory. He was reported missing as of Nov. 28, 1950. Read more here.